When To Start School?

If you're just coming to terms with managing a new baby, why on earth would you be trying to calculate when you child should be starting school? It's simple, it all comes down to waiting lists. If you're caught in the nightmare of childcare waiting lists, you'll know that some kindergarten programs and even schools are already filling up waiting lists to get into classes as far in the future as the 2020's. If you don't want to get caught out but are completely bamboozled as to how to tell when that baby who can't sit up yet should be starting school, Kathy Walker from Early Life Foundations has some information for you to think about.

There's not much that brings home the enormity of the task ahead of you as a parent than trying to calculate when and where your baby should start school. It's a big decision, massive and if you've found choosing a pram difficult then you might be tying yourself in knots trying to work out whether you should go early or late, or book in for private or if you need to put your name on a list for a state school or council kindergarten.. It's just another thing designed to drive you nuts!

Firstly it's never too soon to put your name down on a childcare waiting list, even if you possibly might be contemplating childcare before your child turns two. And I mean, get on that list the minute the pregnancy test turns blue. Childcare places for under twos are almost impossible to come by and in the childcare centre you like (odds on everyone else is going to be keen on it too). So put your child's name on that list.

Kindergarten places can also be hard to find, especially in the suburbs that have high numbers of toddlers. Three year old kindergarten places are being squeezed by demand on four year old classes so the sooner you let your local council know you are planning to attend their kindergarten the better.

Then it comes to private schools... it might seem way to early but if you've got your heart set on a particular school, you might also be advised to get a name on a list. State Schools are required to take your child if you live in their official catchment but registering your name a year before you plan to start might help you connect with other parents in the school community.

So this is WHY you need to be thinking to the future of when you might register your child for school, but HOW do you know when they are going to start school?

Karen Walker is the director of Early Life Foundations, a not for profit organisation for Parents and Educators. She is passionate about early childhood education and making sure children have the very best start to their education experience. She shares her experience on how to calculate the best time to start school and by working backwards, kindergarten and possibly childcare.